If you’re still using a BlackBerry 10 device such as the BlackBerry Classic, Passport, Leap, as well as the BlackBerry Q and Z series, you’re in luck. WhatsApp has extended its support for BlackBerry 10 and even BlackBerry OS7+ users until the end of this year.

Questions and searches about BlackBerry’s first Android device has finally bared fruit; for Malaysians will have the PRIV by next week. This do or die device will be the brand’s pivotal move to see if it can still play the mobile game or close down for good.

Button mashing was a thing of the past, at least for most smartphone users; don’t worry BlackBerry toting folks, we’ve got your backs and maybe soon people might give the qwerty loving brand a go again – thanks to the PRIV. The aforementioned device’s pre-order site went up and down and up again, with the price point getting a “discount” when it really went live. Perhaps one of the most anticipated launches in the brand’s history (you know, cause its an BlackBerry that runs on Android) will happen soon but a list of stock BB apps have been found on Google’s Play Store.

No glitz and no glamour for the BlackBerry PRIV or maybe someone accidentally let the cat out of the bag too early. We’re not too sure since the manufacturer made their pre-order site live for awhile before removing the page. Well at least we know 3 things; the price, when it’ll ship and its internals – whoops.

Touting privacy as a selling point for years, BlackBerry’s brand might be dangerously hanging off a very small edge with their revenues continually sliding. When asked about the company’s prospects by the Verge during the recent Code Mobile conference, their CEO said that failing to reach 5 million units sold, the company might abandon the mobile business.

Tomorrow BlackBerry is about to reveal something interesting which is either a cross platform BBM or a brand new device. If is indeed a new device, it would probably be the BlackBerry Z30 aka “Aristo” shown above here.

This time, it is spotted side by side by the recently launched 5″ Xperia Z1. This is BlackBerry’s new flagship taking the crown off from the current Z10. To recap on the specs, the Z30 is said to come with a large 5″ display, a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage that’s expandable via microSD. If you want to see more of it, you can check out the detail photos & video over here.

The new BlackBerry devices with its BlackBerry 10 OS is a refreshing departure from its previous user experience. On the BlackBerry Z10, we love the natural usage of gestures and its rather minimal learning curve. The only gripe we had was some rough edges in terms of software which was resolved through updates and average battery life of about 10-12 hours.

The new Z30 is something to look forward to as it purportedly comes with a rather generous 2,800mAh battery. With the earlier Z10 and Q10, the launch price of RM2,188 and RM2,388 respectively was seen a barrier as both are significantly more expensive than its Android and iPhone rivals. Hopefully the Z30 would be priced more competitively this time to encourage more uptake.

Before BlackBerry announces its next big thing, its upcoming BlackBerry Z30 also known as the A10 or Aristo has gotten itself a rather detailed hands-on review. The 5 minute long video from Vietnam gives a closer look around the device which is the new big brother of the current BlackBerry Z10 full touch screen device.

If the earlier leaked spec sheet is the real deal, the Z30 runs on a faster dual-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm processor with 2GB of RAM and comes with a bigger 5″ Super AMOLED display that pushes 1280×720 pixels resolution. You’ll get a 8MP camera at the rear and a front facing 2MP camera. Storage wise, it comes with 16GB with expandable microSD slot up to 64GB. Powering the device is a purported 2,800mAh battery which is rather generous and overall is 9.4mm thick. In terms of design, the placement of buttons and ports remain unchanged from the Z10 however the back features a carbon-fibre like weave design just like the back of the popular Motorola RAZR series.

For a company that touts mobile security as its trump card, BlackBerry is really bad at keeping its own information secure. Case in point, the slew of leaks about the 5-inch smartphone that BlackBerry is working on.

On paper, the A10 might not look impressive for a top-end device but when you consider QNX — the platform on which BlackBerry 10 is build from — is quite good at managing processing resources, then specs may not really be an issue.

What can be issues are the lack of apps available for BlackBerry 10 and the overly premium pricing that BlackBerry is putting on its devices. Let’s hope the A10 gets a much improved rear camera as well.

No word on when the A10 will be released but judging by the amount of leaks that’s coming out about the device, you can expect it to be soon, possibly between August and September.

BlackBerry is planning to launch two more devices this year. One will be running the older BlackBerry 7 OS and is a development of the Bold 9700 while the other is a premium device positioned above the current Z10 with a bigger screen known as the A10.

The A10 is expected to feature a 5-inch screen — the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone — a dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and an 8MP rear camera. The display is rumoured to be a 720p Super AMOLED panel pushing out a pixel density of about 293ppi, average considering 1080p displays are quickly becoming the norm.

The device can be seen in action in a short video after the jump and in terms of design, the A10 carries the same theme as the Z10. Essentially, it looks like a bigger Z10. In addition, the A10 is said to be slightly bigger than the Galaxy S4 and feature rounded edges similar to what we’ve seen on the HTC One.

5-inch looks to be the defacto standard when it comes to smartphones. The screen size strikes a good balance between appreciable viewing area while still being comfortably usable with one hand even for people with smaller paws.
But will the A10 help BlackBerry improve its lacklustre sale performance? The larger screen size will get buyers curious and as far as new operating systems go, BlackBerry 10 is refreshing and very likable. However like Windows Phone, the platform lacks many of the most used apps seen in Android and iOS. Will that be a something users can forgo? That’s up to you. Also consider that since this device is likely to be positioned above the Z10, expect to see a price that may be higher than comparative 5-inch smartphones.

The upcoming mid-ranged BlackBerry R10 is spotted again in yet another series of leaked photos. Being a notch down below its flagship BlackBerry Q10, the R10 is rumoured to come with a lower 5MP camera, a smaller 8GB of storage and 1,800mAh battery which is non-removable. Fortunately there’s microSD slot to expand the storage. The display remains unchanged from its Q10 sibling with a 3.1″ screen that does 720×720 pixels resolution. That still gives a respectable 328ppi.

There’s still no mention of its processor but RAM is said to be rather generous with 2GB. Out of the box, the R10 will be running on the latest BlackBerry 10.1 OS which is currently being rolled out to existing devices. Of course, these are still speculative specs and if it is priced right, this could be the popular QWERTY BlackBerry for the masses.